I also wondered if his stance on the Utah Compact was the same as it was in 2011. He said he opposes the compact "as it is currently written" and believes "the laws should be enforced" when it comes to immigration.

Vice Mayor Alex Finter nominated Talmage to the HRAB after Talmage applied to be on a couple of city boards.

"I served on the Human Relations Advisory Board years ago," Finter told me. "It's a good place to kind of get started in city boards and commissions. And I thought it'd be a good fit."

Finter related that another council member "was kind of concerned" that Talmage's presence on the board might be "disruptive" or a "problem" for the HRAB.

"I personally don't think it will," stated Finter. "He definitely probably has differing opinions, and I'm fine with that . . . I didn't think it would cause such a stir. I don't think it will be as bad as some might think."

Councilman Dave Richins suggested that the position might "broaden [Talmage's] horizons," as Talmage would have to work with people who hold views opposite to his own.

Dennis Kavanagh, who represents Mesa's District 3, declined comment, save to say that he was not consulted about the recommendation prior to the vote held at the April 1 council meeting.

Interestingly, Talmage's horizons may be a bit broader than they would seem at first blush.

His application states that he "did a two-year mission for my church in Southern Chile."

In addition to his B.A. in political science from Arizona State University, Talmage claims that he speaks Arabic and has a certificate from ASU in Islamic Studies.

As a current member of the Mesa Human Relations Advisory Board I look forward to meeting and hearing what Mr. Pearce has to say and to see what his contribution will be to the board. I just know that we are a strong board with strong views and we will continue to address all issues, problems, and concerns that our community has faced,is facing and will be facing in the future.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” -James Baldwin

I corresponded with Talmage several times during the Russell Pearce recall. We disagreed on most things, but I always found him to be thoughtful, polite, and intelligent - even when doggedly defending his uncle whom I was trying to get out of office. The purpose of a Human Relations Board shouldn't be to get a bunch of like minded people together to craft policy - it should be to take people from different points of view and find common ground. Otherwise it just becomes an echo chamber that forces its point of view on everyone else - exactly what so many liberals hated about Russell Pearce.

As a Mesa resident, I'm disappointed in Mayor Smith's judgement. Human rights and Mormon just don't mix, as their history shows. No one in the Pearce clan should be anywhere near any public service position of any kind. Ugh.

@j.peterson31 because they want to be in charge of you. They feel that that they know better than you do about how you should live your life so that continue to try to acquire power so that they can impose their will on you. That's why they keep resurfacing in politics.

@66rock Wait a minute,what's that I see blowing in the wind,in the far distance ? Oh yea, it's just Mayor Smith's future plans of ever winning any statewide political race (governor). Nevermind,no biggie !

@oscaroscaroscar
No kidding. Who the fuck names their kid "Talmage?" Bet he got the shit
beat out of him on the playground every day in elementary school. That
and being raised by the trailer trash that is the Pearce clan probably
accounts for his redneck, racist beliefs. Mayor Smith should be ashamed
of himself, but then again, the man is a politician, and if he wants to
keep his job as mayor of Mesa (or move on to a higher office such as
governor, as many have speculated he wants to do) then he must do the
bidding of the Mormon Mafia that still runs that city, and nominate as many Mormons as possible to city boards and commissions, including racist garbage like Talmage Pearce.

@oscaroscaroscar As a mesan I would just point out that Mesa was also the place that recalled Senator Pearce. It seems that evertime Mesa does something someone doesn't like everyone starts talking about how horrible it is, but no one ever talks about how great it is when we recall Pearce or have him lose an R primary by TEN points. Mesa is a great place to live.

@Bnbk Nope, can't forget Mo. I'm one of those who voted for Mr Lewis and was glad to do it. He was a huge improvement over Pearce. There was no way a Democrat or Libertarian was going to beat Pearce. Lewis was at my polling place that day,answered questions, very nice man and perfect to replace Pearce. I never once had a doubt Pearce would lose.

I am going to guess that Mayor Smith will be our next governor, he will have a ton of money behind him and most GOP leaders. At least Smith will be a much needed improvement over Governor Brewer, just surprised he would want the stink of the Pearce clan anywhere near him now.

@oscaroscaroscar @jldb all that breeding could have been stopped on 9-11 ,,, if only the wagoners traveling to California had fought back instead of giving in to the trap they got into , 9-11-1857 ,, the mountain meadow massacre .

@yourproductsucks@marcy Hey YPS THIS IS YELLING! Marcy was not yelling. However, you are "prevaricating" when you characterize Marcy's writing as "yelling." Ahem, that means LYING!

Actually, YPS, seeking to continue to deprive another human being of their rights under the Constitution of the United States (equality of treatment under the law being one of those rights) IS an act of hostility and shows hatred towards those people. During slavery in this Country, most Whites "hated" black people enough to consider them livestock. The Whites knew they were humans, they knew they deserved not to be in slavery, but the Whites didn't care - they HATED the dark skinned peoples and demonstrated it through discrimination.

Talmage is very careful to also not express an opinion about how many men per man.

There are more than a few members of the Pearce clan that are eventually going to be dragged out of the closet, as was Paul Babeu, if they continue to live a life of lies expressing hatred for gays publicly while secretly engaging in same sex relationships.